Adorn a Headband

Adding beads to a headband is a great way to dress it up and makes for a great gift for a young girl. It is easy and requires only a plastic headband, floral wire and plastic beads.

Unwind about three feet of wire. Start at the top in the middle of the headband, wind one end of the wire around three times and secure by feeding the free end under one of the loops. If you're using seed beads like I did, depending on the size it will take three to six beads. Feed the free end of the wire through your beads. Hold the beads in place while feeding the free end beneath the newly strung beads. Pull the wire through and tug it to tighten the beads into place.

Wrap the wire around the headband to the side you started on and string more beads. Again, feed the loose end of the wire under the new row of beads, pull tight and wrap the wire around the head band until you're on the starting side. Continue until you have covered as much of the band as you want.

Repeat the above steps on the opposite side of your beginning point and string until the beads are parallel to the finished side.

I experimented using different sized beads and found the larger ones didn't fit as well as the seed size but I don't consider the wire that shows to be offensive.

Give it a try. I had to redo headbands a couple of times but the end result is satisfying. I'll use mine to adorn a teddy bear topper for one of my personalized wrapped candy bar cakes.

Yogurt Container Re-purpose

Yogurt Container Re-purpose

You can add this to your list of things to do with yogurt containers.

Get two yogurt containers. One must still have a lid that fits it.

Fill one half way or so with water. Fill another about half way with rice and replace the lid. Place the one with rice inside the one with water. Put into the freezer and let freeze.

“Why?” you ask.

Once the water has frozen, run water on the outside, remove the inside yogurt container containing the rice which will pull the ice out with it, remaining attached. Hold the yogurt container with the rice by the top and apply chill to a central location that aches such as a shoulder blade muscle.

“Why would I do that?” you ask.

John has been seeing a therapist for a shoulder injury he acquired while working. One of the things the therapist does is apply ice to a shoulder blade muscle that is refusing to release tension. She uses basically an ice cube on a stick to apply the ice in a circular motion with a bit of pressure on the muscle.

This does two things. The chill relieves the pain and the circular motion massages.

Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Tubes

Don't laugh. Okay, go ahead and laugh when I tell you I repurpose the cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Your laughing will stop once I tell you how. Your eyes will widen and you will think to yourself "Why didn't I think of that?"

The best repurposing, reuse, or things to do with tubes from toilet paper or paper towel rolls: Roll the plastic bags you get when you buy fresh vegetables around your fingers starting with the bottom side. When you have it rolled into a neat ball, shove it into either cardboard tube.

Wait. You shoved it into the paper towel tube too far and can't reach it to get it out? No problem. Put the tube against your lips and blow. The plastic will come out the other end. I haven't counted how many plastic bags the paper towel roll can hold but it's a bunch. I simply keep shoving bags in knowing that I will be able to get them out by blowing through the tube.

We don't do it but I bet you could even use the paper towel tube to hold plastic grocery bags.

I use both toilet paper and paper towel tubes as candle molds. I set the tubes upright on a plastic picnic plate and seal around the bottom of the tubes with plumbers putty. After the melted wax has hardened, I cut the top edge of the tube down far enough for me to pinch with my fingers and tear. The cardboard gives the pillar candle a rustic look.

Both paper towel and toilet paper tubes are toys for my two guinea pigs, Dolly and Molly. They enjoy shoving the tubes around their cage and chewing on them. Caution: They are not good for ferrets who like to poke their heads into small holes. Their little heads will get stuck. Do not give tubes to ferrets!

I also shove Timothy hay into the tubes so the two cavies have to work to get their treat.

Hold on. Are you still laughing?

Repurposed Wine Bottle: A Special Homemade Gift

Lighted Wine Bottle or Wine Bottle With Lights

She loved it. This is how I will start today's blog about decorating a used wine bottle for repurposing as a gift.

When I handed the hand-painted, bow-adorned, filled-with-Christmas-lights wine bottle over to my best friend, I explained, "You see, it's filled with Christmas lights," then I plugged it into the socket over her kitchen counter.

"Ohhhh, I love it," she cried.

"And I used enamel glass paint to paint the leaves and dragonflies," I continued.

"Hon, look," she beckoned to her husband. "See what Deb made for me? It lights! This is sooooo cool. You should sell them," she told me.

"Not in Lawrence, I can't. No market but I'd like to try here in Bonner (Springs, KS)," I said.

The conclusion is the hand painted wine bottle I turned into a lit decoration was a marvelous hit which surprised me, somewhat. I felt a bit humble giving her something I had made but on the other hand I was proud of the nice looking piece. And now that I know there's a chance such a project could be desirable, I will make more and add them to my inventory of homemade gifts to give and sell.

How to Recycle, Repurpose a Coffee Can

Make a Decorated Holder for a Plunger

One day, I got consumed with the large plunger used for unstopping sinks and toilets. It was setting in the corner of our bathroom like an ugly ornament I wanted to throw away. I decided it was time to make a decorated holder to house the unattractive piece.

Fortunately, I had an empty thirty-three ounce coffee can that I decided to decorate and make into a holder for the plunger. It was an easy project and took no time at all.

I happened to have lovely green wrapping paper with no designs which matched the green in our bathroom rugs and window curtain. I measured the can from the top rim to bottom rim then around the outside circumference, transferred the measurements to the wrapping paper drawing cut lines with a pencil on the back side of the paper.

Next, I cut out the shape and with a rubber stamp, I stamped the outside of the paper.

I applied rubber cement to the outside of the coffee can and to the back of the wrapping paper. It is important to apply rubber cement to both the can and wrapping paper otherwise the paper will not remain adhered to the can.

After rolling the can up in the wrapping paper, I measured the circumference of the plunger handle, eyeballed the center of the lid and made two marks on the lid with a marker. If the handle is an inch in diameter, lay the ruler at the one half inch mark at the center of the lid. Make a mark on the lid at the end of the ruler then another mark at the inch mark on the ruler. Draw a circle the width of the two marks then cut a hole in the plastic lid of the coffee can.

It doesn't have to be perfect. Now slide the plastic coffee can lid down the handle of the plunger. You will find you will not need to remove the lid from the plunger handle when you need to use it because you can slide the lid up out of the way. If your hole is bigger than the handle then you'll have to problem removing the lid when you need to use the plunger.

Put the plunger into your decorated coffee can and snap the lid into place on the can.

Voila! You now have a holder for your plunger!

Make Your Own Labels for Baggies/Sandwich Bags

I quit buying Christmas gifts a few years back for my kids and parents. No, I'm not a Scrooge. My kids are grown and make their own money, parents buy anything they want or need. I do gift but I make the gifts and they are gifts of food.

To make the gifts even more personal, instead of wrapping the plastic bags of food in store bought wrapping paper I designed labels then stapled them to the the tops of the bags. The labels add a delightful touch and I have been told the gifts look as though they've been purchased from the store. You could even get the kids involved and have them draw the labels with markers or wax colors.

The regular sized sandwich bags require a 6 1/2 inch wide x 4 inch tall label. You can set the dimensions up in your word program. You can either use the clipart provided by your word program, buy clipart, trace a picture or go to the hobby store and buy stickers. Type the words Merry Christmas and/or label what is in the bag then add your art (or if you bought stickers add them after you've printed the label).

I sent cinnamon candy and pineapple muffins so each of my labels said either Homemade Cinnamon Candy or Homemade Pineapple Muffins. The labels don't have to be fancy. They can simply say what you want them to say with no art at all. Just pick a font and pick a color.

And remember personalized labels or wrappers don't have to be only for Christmas. They're also terrific for birthdays, anniversaries, births, showers and any holiday.

Need help? Have a question about how to do labels or wrappers, leave me a comment. Need clipart? I have some on my website. Just type in Miller's Wrapped Expression and you'll find many but I'm not done adding clipart as I create new pieces everyday. I can also draw most anything you need.

Do something extraordinary!

Repurpose, Reuse & Recycle Cardboard Boxes

With my baking and candy-making finished, I began wondering how I was going to send all the goodies to the various states in which my family live. Not much was going into each box for a total of nine boxes; a few ounces of hard candy and muffins. That was it.

"Maybe you can find boxes at the UPS store," my husband suggested.

"I'll take care of it," I replied. I was remembering last year when I tried stuffing candy and baked goods into the smallest flat rate box the post office offered. I couldn't and ended up running back to the post office to get medium sized boxes.

With everything packed into the boxes, I headed off to mail them. Imagine my surprise when I found out that each medium sized box was going to cost over ten dollars to ship! So much for the good deal in flat rate shipping which is how the postal service makes it sound.

Well, it's not a good deal. So, after recalling last year's episode of shipping off Christmas presents I did a little research. I found if I used my own boxes and ship parcel post, I would save money. The search for boxes began. I managed to find eight boxes plus one used padded envelope in which I could pack several ounces of food.

I found an old computer keyboard box, boxes I had used as storage but no longer stored stuff in; I found boxes I had packed for moving and boxes for stuff I had ordered on the internet. Why, I had boxes galore! And to tell the truth, I didn't realize I had so many that were taking up space. They were in our spare bedroom and our garage. Without intending to, I managed to create extra space by using the pre-used boxes. Not only that, but I managed to generate less trash.

What was the average cost to mail each package parcel post (not flat rate)? Seven dollars and sixty six cents per box. That was a savings of two dollars and fifty four cents per box and a total savings of nearly twenty three dollars!

Lesson: If you are shipping light items, double check flat rate shipping rates versus first class. Most importantly, re-use those empty boxes you have laying around.